In conventional spin cast reels, drag braking is typically accomplished by developing friction between a drag washer and a face of a line-carrying spool. Drag pressure is increased by applying a force against the drag plate which is in substantially face-to-face contact with the spool. In one such arrangement a drag wheel is suspended within the reel housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis. The drag wheel is confined against longitudinal shifting and is threadably engaged with a longitudinal screw. Rotation of the drag wheel causes longitudinal advancement or retraction of the screw depending upon the direction of rotation of the wheel. The screw, which abuts the drag plate, increases or decreases the pressure between the drag plate and spool.
Generally, to position the wheel accessibly, the wheel is situated so as to protrude partially at the upper and outer surfaces of the housing. During use, the wheel is often bumped or otherwise inadvertently rotated, thereby varying the drag. Particularly at low drag settings, the drag wheel is easily movable. At high drag settings this problem is not as prevalent in that the threads on the screw are biased against the threads on the confined drag wheel by the force applied to the drag plate. While there is less of a tendency of the wheel to rotate at high drag settings, even slight rotation of the drag wheel that might occur is detrimental. The result in either event is that the drag varies from the chosen pressure, which can only be detected during retrieval of a fish, at which point it is impractical and may be too late to make any adjustment.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the above-described problem.